Problems of Housing Finance in India

International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962
Volume- 9, Issue- 4 (August 2019)
www.ijemr.net https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.9.4.11
69 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Problems of Housing Finance in India
Dr. Rashmi Rani
Former Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Sri Guru Nanak Girls Degree College, Lucknow, INDIA
Corresponding Author: rashmigbkg@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Housing is one of the basic needs of an individual in
terms of safety, security, self-esteem, social status, satisfaction
and achievement. A large amount is required to
construct/purchase a house, which is generally not available to
a person. Hence, over the last few years, housing finance has
become an attractive business for financial institutions of
India due to its low risk characteristics. But this sector has
some problems which require attention. My present paper is
an effort to draw attention towards the problems of this
sector.
Keywords-- Housing, Housing Finance, Problems, Financial
Institutions
I. INTRODUCTION
The word ‘problem’ refers to a harmful matter
needed to be dealt with and overcome. When we consider
over the problems of housing finance sector of India, it is
obvious that there are some problems which create hurdles
in the path of smooth growth of this sector such as
insufficient infrastructural development, unequal
distribution of national capital, cost of acquisition of land,
Government housing policies etc. these problems are of
typical nature and require a long term continuous attention
and strong will power to be rooted out from the side of
Govt. of India as well as the society.
Besides, a number of problems are faced by the
housing loan customers and housing finance agencies in
Indian housing finance market. Hence, for the convenience
of the study the problems of housing finance sector can be
discussed under the following separate headings:
(A) General problems of housing finance sector of
India
(B) Problems faced by housing financing agencies
(C) Problems faced by housing finance customers
(A) General Problems of Housing Finance Sector of India
Housing finance sector is developing at a fast pace
during last two decades due to the enthusiastic interest of
Government of India to solve the housing problem of the
country. Although , the present environment of finance
sector of India seems to be suitable for the uninterrupted
growth of housing finance market, but there are few general
problems which create hinderances either directly or
indirectly. A brief study of these problems can be made
with help of the following headings:
1. Government Policies for Housing Finance Sector
Government of India announced a no. of housing
policies and programs especially for the weaker segment of
the population. The housing finance sector of the country is
suffering from inadequate financial resources and due to the
low paying capacity of most of the Indian population.
In the present circumstances, the Government of
India is trying to play the role of facilitator by offering a
number of housing schemes for different section of the
society, but due to poor administrative control and lack of
strong will power of most of the schemes are squeezed only
up to the basic levels and never attain its final objectives.
Besides, the role of Government of India to boost
up housing finance sector is limited up to the formation of
National Housing Board (NHB) .
2. Role of Housing Finance Regulatory Authority
The regulatory body of housing finance sector of
India is National Housing Bank, which came into existence
in 1988. The origin of National Housing Bank(NHB) was
basically as the apex institution of the housing finance
sector of the country to facilitate the development of a
sound , healthy and sustainable housing finance system.
Since its inception NHB is trying its best towards achieving
this goal but could not get desired success.
During the period of study, it was observed that
NHB neither has sufficient power and network to regulate
and control entire housing finance sector of the company
nor has sufficient funds to support the needy housing
finance companies. One of the major drawback of NHB’s
functioning is that it never took any direct step to protect
the interest of housing loan customers and limits itself as a
refinancing agency only.
3. Development of Fundamental Infrastructure for
Housing and Technological Innovations
Housing is basically an urban phenomenon. It needs some
basic infrastructural facilities like roads development,
electricity and water supply, proper drainage system etc. to
grow. Most of these facilities depend upon Government
efforts and interest.
As far as the technological innovations in housing
in India is concerned , it has been remarkable during 1981-
2001.the multistory and colony cultures have reached even
in the town areas and efforts for reducing the cost of houses
to make it available to middle class persons are showing

fruitful results. The private builders’ and colonizers’
contribution in this particular area is significant.
4. Distribution of National Capital among Population
Unfortunately in India, the distribution of capital
among the population is not justified even after all the
efforts of Government of India. As per the annual report
,2003 of World Bank 43%population of India earn less than
one Dollar per day and about 87% population’s daily
earning is less than two Dollars. The report of National
Sample Survey, India clarifies that about 36% of country’s
population lives below poverty line and further 52% can be
categorized as middle income segment.
As a result, the housing finance agencies of India
have limited clientele of sound repayment capacity. Hence,
the housing finance agencies face the problem of increasing
non-procuring assets(NPA).
5. Non-Availability of Funds
Housing finance is a long term investment which
requires a great amount of funds. One of the main problems
of housing finance sector of India is non availability of long
term capital for investment.
In the absence of sufficient resources for long term
capital, the housing finance sector of India depends upon
the Government of India’s policies for its survival and the
Government plays a significant role in making long term
funds resources available either directly or indirectly.
Sometimes the Government provides substantial funds for
housing at subsidized rates. The indirect way adopted by
the Government for raising long term sources for the
housing sector in securitization of mortgages. It offers a
viable, sustainable and market oriented mechanism for long
term funding.
Though, the Government of India is
trying its best to promote the housing finance sector of the
country, yet for the uninterrupted growth of the sector it is
necessary for the housing finance companies to keep in the
regular search of the long term financial resources to
become independent.
The efforts of setting up a Real Estate Mutual
Fund can also provide some support to the cash starved
housing sector.
6. Higher Cost of Acquisition of Land
The availability of land at an affordable price in
adequate quantity at the right place is more important for
housing finance sector. The inelastic supply of suitable land
is resulted in a sharp increase in the cost of real estate. The
high stamp duty payable at the time of purchase of property
is also caused in increasing the cost of land significantly.
Hence many potential housing finance customers face
problem in owning a house.
7. Unavailability of Genuine Statistics
India is facing an acute shortage of housing units.
The housing shortage was 22.9million units in 1991, which
reduced to 19.4million units by 2001. The housing shortage
numbers are based on the 1991 census and no endeavor was
made to update these statistics from the side of Government
or any private body. It means that the actual position of
present housing sector of India is not shown in the different
reports presented by the Government or Non-Government
organizations, which remains the base of various
Government housing policies.
This problem affects significantly to the housing
finance sector of India. The housing finance or the real
estate sector is considered highly sensitive which involves
huge amount of debt capital. If the decision of investment
in this sector is not based on sound grounds, it may create a
problem of economic crisis, which failed to understand
signals of the housing finance market crashes due to
absence of timely and accurate housing statistics.
(B) Problems Faced by the Housing Finance Companies
Housing finance is the most crucial element of the
housing market. In the field of housing finance market of
India, private sector is playing much more active role in
comparison to public sector. The private sector housing
finance companies and commercial banks control over 85%
of housing finance market of India. The Indian housing
finance market is in its developing stage and is facing a
number of problems. A brief study of major problems of
housing finance companies of India can be made under the
following headings:
1. Rapid Growth of Housing Finance Institutions
For last 15 years, a big number pf financial
institutions, banks and co-operative societies are
continuously entering in the housing finance market of
India due to the following reasons-
 The Indian stock market was going down and this
was an overall period of recession of financial
sector.
 The Indian Government was promoting housing
development activities and was willing to provide
all possible aids to the financiers, developers and
customers.
 Housing finance was recognized as 100%secured
investment.
Although it shows the increasing importance of
housing finance sector it is creating a disturbed
environment in the housing finance market. The main
reason of this is that most of the new entrants of housing
finance sector do not have required experience, sufficient
infrastructure and adequate funds. These HFCs are not sure
about their policies and creating confusion among the
minds of prospective home loan buyers by introducing
ambiguous housing loan plans. It is sure that after a certain
period all the inefficient players will be vanished from the
market, but till then they will prove to be a major problem
for the entire sector.
2. Cut-throat Competition Among Housing Finance
Companies

Housing loan is considered as the safe investment
by financial institutions. Hence, every housing finance
company wants to capture more and more share of this
segment. Hence, a fierce competition is found in housing
finance market. The competition affects positively to the
housing finance sector up to a reasonable level, but that,
when lenders have to provide loans below their cost of
funds, it converts into a threat for the entire housing finance
industry.
As far as Indian housing industry is concerned,
there is a fierce competition and interest rate cut
environment at present. All housing finance companies are
using all possible means to attract home buyers. Alternative
choices between floating and fixed rates are being offered.
Discounted home loan interest rates have been offered as
low as 7.5% up to a tenure of 25 years. The housing loan
amount has gone up to 110% of property to meet out the
cost of legal expenses. Most of the HFCs are exempting
processing charges to survive in the market.
This scenario of housing finance market is not
good for the housing finance industry. Even Reverse Bank
of India has recently voiced concern over competition in
home loan financing and is thinking of making it mandatory
for all HFCs to insist on a security margin.
3. Paucity of long term fund
Housing finance is a long term investment. for a
housing company to arrange a huge amount of funds for
long-term investment is not easy. Hence, most of the
housing finance companies generate their funds from short-
term sources and deploy these funds is long-term housing
loans. It creates an assets-liabilities mismatch. Therefore, it
is essential to provide subsidized funding through the
government for their survival.
In India, the financial condition of housing finance
companies is not as sound as it should be. The Reserve
Bank of India has warned these HFCs specially banks about
the danger of borrowing short and lending more.
No doubt the paucity of long-term funds is a major
problem of HFC's and affects adversely to their future
prospective. Indian housing finance market is passing
through a developing stage and everyone is excited to see
its growth rate, but to sustain this trend for a long-term
period, the government of India and the players of housing
finance market should take a very serious note for this forth
coming problem.
4. Traditional Marketing Network
A housing loan is inherently different from any
other retail loans. This is because a house is probably the
life time investment made by an individual. Hence, when an
individual plans to purchase a house, he not only requires
financial assistance but also seeks technical consultancy
and moral supports. It has been discussed earlier in this
chapter that the concept of housing finance is not favoured
by the Indian society in nntural process.
natural process.
Under all these circumstances, a customer's
friendly marketing network is essential for the rapid growth
of housing finance sector. Unfortunately, the banking and
co-operative sector of housing finance sector are not trying
to understand the importance of this fact and are going on
with their traditional loaning marketing network. Although
the private sector's housing financing agencies are serious
about their marketing process, but these agencies do not
have a wide branch network and are limited to metropolitan
cities only.
In the long run, the banking and co-operative
sector have to accept the fact that loaning is a bare business
which needs professional approach to grow.
5. Typical Process for Foreclosure Action
One of the prime problems of housing financing
agencies of the country is the cumbersome and time taking
process of enforcing a mortgage in the event of default in
payment of loan instalment made by the borrowers. The
mortgage and foreclosure laws of the country are not well
defined and the Indian courts always have a lenient attitude
in favour of borrower on sympathetic grounds. This is
resulted in highly conservative lending practices and
underwriting norms adopted by the agencies extending
financial assistance for housing.
Government of India is taking this problem of
housing finance sector seriously and has been advised to
National Housing Bank (NHB) to amend its own Act in
such a way that default lending could place in special
category to be treated on priority bases for the purpose of
recovery. In practice, such types of amendments of Acts
take its own time in practical execution and till then
housing financing agencies have to tackle this problem in
their own ways.
6. Unclear Property Rights
Unclear property rights for rural and urban lands
are also a major problem for housing finance sector of
India. It is a complex and knotty problem and is survived
because of a number of reasons i.e. a cumbersome land
registration procedure, a high stamp duty, the existence of
complex tenancy law, urban land ceiling Act etc.
The unclear property titles severely reduce the
housing finance market, because housing finance
companies do not like to play game after financing such
type of disputed properties. At the most these properties are
used as collateral securities and limit housing financing to
those property owners who have proper title. This problem
can be minimized only when the Central and States
Government of India take serious steps to amend the related
legislative laws and procedures.
7. Industries Status for Housing
The housing sector of India does not acquire
industry status in the country and is demanding for it from a
long time period. This factor affects the borrowing powers

of HFCs negatively because 'Industry Status' of housing and
construction activities would enable the private sector
developers to avail loans from banks at lower rate of
interest.
To achieve the industry status for housing sector
only government's positive attitude is not sufficient but also
the functioning of developers and promoters should be in an
organisation systematic. First of all, developers have to start
functioning in a corporate manner instead of their current
fragmented fashion functioning, where builders establish
different companies for different projects. A move towards
consolidation and stability is necessary. Easier access to
housing finance requires a great element of transparency
and disclosures on the part of builders and developers.
Housing finance companies should also encourage and
promote the corporate style functioning in housing
construction sector to boost up the housing market in India.
The most of the problems of housing financing agencies are
linked with the expected boom of housing finance sector, as
these agencies could not prepare themselves according to
the expansion of market. These problems will automatically
be minimised with the passing of time. The problem of
paucity of long-term funds is the real constraint for housing
finance sector, which needs a serious attention. The housing
finance sector should also develop united pressure to the
Government of India to amend the property Acts positively
and to grant an industry status to housing finance sector.
(C) Problems Faced By The Housing Finance Customers
The housing finance customers face many
problems in availing the housing finance. A brief study of
some major problems are as under:
1. Cumbersome Nature of Housing Finance
A housing loan deal is entirely different from the
other types of loans. A general housing loan borrower of
study area belongs to the upper or middle class, is of an
average age of 30 to 50 years, typically a first time home
buyer and by and large a salaried person. Naturally he gets
confused when he decides to avail housing finance facility,
because most of the housing loan products are fairly
standardized and having its own technical details. The
housing finance is available at fixed or floating rates. A
number of offers and promises are announced by different
housing finance companies. At this stage, a general housing
loan customer gets confused in reaching at some conclusion
and is governed by the manipulated advises and
approaches. This leads him ultimately to unsatisfactory
decisions.
The housing finance companies should train their
executives properly and instruct them to guide the probable
housing loan seekers in true sense without considering the
short-term interests of the company.
2. Lack of Reliable Information Regarding Housing
Finance Sector
Like other sectors of finance i.e. banking,
insurance, stock market, there is no specific magazine of
housing finance available in the market through which
statistical data and facts of housing finance market could be
revealed in a systematic way. The magazine of other
financial sectors cover this topic only in its regular features.
It's not only a big problem for housing finance seekers, but
also shows the disability of housing finance companies in
launching customer's awareness programmes properly. This
is not a good sign for the uninterrupted progress of housing
finance sector.
3. Hidden Costs and Terms and Conditions of Housing
Finance
A housing loan customer does not has sufficient
knowledge of housing loan and selects a housing finance
company randomly. But after taking housing loans when a
borrower encounters with the other hidden costs of housing
loan such as processing fees and file charges, heavy penalty
at any delay in payment of loan instalment, penalty on
premature payment of loan etc. he finds himself
embarrassed and helpless at that stage. Generally the
friendly services of marketing executives of housing
finance company remain available up to the sanction of
housing loan only. No concept of after- sales-service is
found in housing finance sector like the insurance sector.
This is neither good for housing finance customers nor for
the future of housing finance industry.
4. Lack of Flexibility in Payment of Loan Installments
The business class customers of housing loan feel
some problem with the strict term of payment of equal
monthly installment (EMI) of housing loan on due time,
otherwise they have to pay abnormal and heavy late
payment penalties. A business class person also lives in
uncertainty and among the seasonal fluctuations. Due to the
reason he does not like to trap himself with a long time
strict regular payment liability. Generally he wants
relaxations to make the payments of EMI according to his
convenience in housing finance companies at present. This
is the prime reason that housing finance schemes are more
popular in service class sector in comparison to
businessmen.
5. Shortage of Professional Builders and Developers
In India, the culture of professional builders and
developers is not very much popular in the small cities. The
unauthorized and small builders have ruined the housing
market of small cities by adopting several types of
malpractices. The housing finance customers feel the
shortage of genuine and professional builders in their areas,
on which they can depend upon.
6. Tiresome and Technical Paper Formalities
The approval of a housing loan depends upon the
proper compliance of the all tiresome and technical paper
formalities such as to prove the genuineness of property
purchased, income proof, mortgage documentation,

approval of local development authority, etc. Generally a
housing loan customer becomes hopeless to fulfill all these
paper formalities several times during the processing
period. Moreover, in spite of all positive attitude, the
housing financing agencies remain strict on compliance of
these formalities, as they do not have absolute faith on legal
documentation system of the country and want to ensure
themselves by all means.
This is one of the reasons due to which a common
person avoids housing finance through authorized housing
finance agencies and explores his personal resources .
7. Fluctuating Home Loan Interest Rates
The day to day changes in home loan interest rates
also creates confusion in the mind of prospective home loan
customers. Besides, the home loan interest rates offered by
different HFCs vary from customer to customer and
company to company. The customers always try to search
the most attractive housing finance sector to avail but it
proves a tiresome and depressive job. From the last decade
home loan interest rates had been falling, but at the end of
2004 there are indications that it would go up in near future.
Although the Housing Finance Companies offer the fixed or
floating rates option for the customers, but it proves to hard
to a general customers to opt a suitable option. If a
customer finds his decision wrong, he has to bear the
switching cost i.e. cost of converting fixed loan rates to
floating loan rates or vice-versa.
For the smooth growth of housing finance market the
stability of interest rates is essential. It will not only ease
the individual customers but also support the professional
builders to sketch a long-term planning. It is expected that
the interest rates for housing finance would be stabilize in
the long run when the boom period of this sector will over.
8. Insufficient Amount of Housing Finance
When an individual plans to purchase a house with
the help of housing finance available in the market, he has
to face the problem of inadequate financial support from the
side of loaning agencies. Most of commercial banks and co-
operative societies have a margin clause in its loan
schemes. It means, the cost of the house purchased is not
entirely financed by the banks or co-operative societies.
These institutions generally finance 75 to 90 percent of the
cost of the property (the registered value of the property).
The balance amount is to be arranged by the borrower from
his own resources either from his savings or personal
borrowings from other sources. This usually acts as a major
constraint for home loan borrowers.
II. CONCLUSION
Housing finance companies as well as housing
finance customers both are facing a number of problems.
Housing finance institutions are facing shortage of long
term funds, cut throat competition because of mushroom
growth of housing finance institutions and cumbersome and
time taking process of enforcing a mortgage in the event of
default in payment of loan installment made by the
borrowers. Simultaneously, housing finance customers are
also facing problems because of non availability of reliable
information about housing finance, fluctuating interest
rates, tiresome paper work and insufficient amount of
housing finance amount. Housing finance is a market with
infinite growth potential. The Government as well as the
housing financing agencies should effort more to improve
the creditability and functioning of housing finance system
in India
REFERENCES
[1] Madhav Rao, A.G. Murthy, & Annamalai G. (1985).
Modem trend in housing in developing countries. New
Delhi, India: Oxford and IBH Publishing Company.
[2] S. Abdul Lathif & Dr. U. Syed Aktharsha. (2015). A
study on role of behavioural finance in active management
and investor's emotions. International Journal of
Management, 6(1), 97-102.
[3] Pushan Ghose. (2018). Microfinance with reference to
micro units development and refinance agency banks
(MUDRA banks). International Journal of Engineering and
Management Research, 8(1), 111-113.
[4] Krishnamachari S M. (1980). Mobilisation of finance
for rural housing. New Delhi, India: Yojana Publication
Division.

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